Systematics and biological control: Past meets present in Project Trissolcus. Part I

The invasive species Halymorpha halys, otherwise known as the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), has caused millions of dollars in agricultural losses in the eastern United States, and poses major threats to the west coast as well as Europe.  Efforts to control this species with traditional pesticide applications have limited effectiveness, and often result in secondary pest outbreaks. Two USDA labs of ARS, the Systematic Entomology Lab (SEL) and the Beneficial Insect Insects Introduction Research Unit BIIR), have joined forces to research the use of parasitoid Trissolcus wasps for the biological control of BMSB. This talk summarizes the project to date, what research has been conducted, the challenges to working with Trissolcus wasps, and the international community of scientists engaged in the persuit of mitigating the dustruction caused by BMSB.